208 ANNUAL REPORTS OF DEPARTMENT OF AGRICULTURE. 



BREEDING HORSES FOR THE UNITED STATES ARMY. 



Altliouj;!! liorses are now commnndino; liifjher prices than liavo been 

 known for many years, tlicre is evidently a great shortage in their 

 production. The United States Army has for some years found it 

 difficult to maintain an adequate supply of suitable horses, and it 

 seems that if the efficiency of the cavalry is to be maintained it will be 

 necessary for the (lovernment to take up some systematic plan to 

 encourage the breeding of horses of a type suitable for army use. 



During the past year the Secretary of War requested the coopera- 

 tion of the Secretary of Agriculture in evolving some plan for ena- 

 bling the army to obtain suitable horses. The Secretary of War 

 pointed out that the supply of horses fit for remounts is becoming more 

 and more limited, and that the present indications are that the country 

 would find it impossible to mount its army from its own resources in 

 time of war and is rapidly reaching a point where the needed supply 

 of suitable remounts for the present strength of the army would be 

 extremely difficult to obtain, if obtainable at all. As a result this 

 Department designated a representative to join with a representative 

 of the War Department in considering the subject and formulating a 

 plan. The Department of Agriculture was represented by Mr. (ieorge 

 M. Rommel, Chief of the Animal Husbandry Division of this Bureau, 

 and the War Department by Capt. Casper H. Conrad, jr.. Third 

 Cavalry, U. S. Army, detailed for duty in the Quartermaster- 

 General's Department in connection with the purchase of remounts. 

 These gentlemen have outlined a plan for breeding horses for army 

 use, which plan is presented in the portion of this report dealing with 

 the work of the Animal Husbandry Division. To carry out this plan 

 would require appropriations for the use of this Department estimated 

 at $250,000 for the first year and $100,000 a year thereafter. 



NEW EXPERIMENTAL FARM. 



For several years the Bureau has felt the need of a farm near 

 Washington on which it could conduct experiments and investiga- 

 tions in breeding and feeding animals and in dairying, so that such 

 work could be kept separate from that relating to infectious diseases 

 as carried on at the Experiment Station at Bethesda, Md., as the work 

 is so entirely diflferent in character and is under the supervision of 

 different divisions of the Bureau. In the appropriation act for the 

 Department of Agriculture for the fiscal year ending June 30, 1911, 

 Congress appropriated $25,000 for the purchase of such a farm. The 

 Department purchased a farm of about 475 acres located at Belts- 

 ville, Prince George County, Md., about 13 miles from Washington. 

 This farm is now being equipped for the purpose in view, and will be 

 used by the Dairy and Animal Husbandry divisions of the Bureau. 

 The work in the breeding and feeding of animals and poultry here- 

 tofore carried on at the Bethesda Experiment Station will be trans- 

 ferred to the new farm, and dairy work will be taken up later. The 

 experimental work relating to diseases of animals will be conducted 

 as heretofore at the Bethesda station. 



